Maison de Naissance is a birthing center near the rural town of Torbeck, located in Haiti’s southwest peninsula. In 2016, Hurricane Matthew struck the peninsula, severely impacting numerous villages. During the hurricane and in its immediate aftermath, more than 150 members of the local community took refuge in the birthing center, putting pressure on the center’s ability to provide its essential services. Approximately one year later, the Studio was asked to provide a design for a 3,000 square foot community center and worship space that would also serve as an emergency shelter and distribution center during and in the aftermath of any future natural disasters.
The studio chose to design the community center with solid, rammed-earth perimeter walls to protect against projectiles during hurricanes and a flexible but powerful bamboo roof truss system to resist seismic and wind loads. The form of the building is simple and arose from a desire to create a welcoming atmosphere. Unlike many of the imported, and consequently expensive, materials used in Haitian buildings, earth and bamboo are locally available.
The Torbeck Community Center was designed to provide a place for community celebrations, worship services, and refuge in times of need. In addition to providing the design, the studio carefully constructed numerous scaled mock ups of portions of the community center, testing construction ideas and techniques.
Perhaps the most important part of the project was to transfer new construction technologies and techniques to the community of Torbeck. To accomplish this, the Studio traveled to Haiti and worked alongside students from a local University to build a demonstration rammed earth wall. Over the course of two weeks, the team completed the wall, met with individuals from a bamboo farm, formed bonds with our Haitian counterparts, had a few adventures, and learned a lot in the process.
2018
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The Torbeck Community Center was designed as an open-air single-volume, gable-roofed main hall, with two smaller, flat-roofed support spaces - a bathroom and an office. The rammed earth perimeter wall is comprised of three different types of modules, designed to resist lateral movement and storm-thrown projectiles. Ten structural bays define the rhythm of the interior, with two side aisles framing the main hall during events, but allowing for additional space for accommodating those seeking refuge during storms. A large covered from porch faces the main gravel road, with a rear three-sided courtyard provides an area for more intimate gatherings. From the rear courtyard, beautiful views to rice fields are to be had.
The bamboo columns were designed in clusters, to allow for structural redundancy and for intermittent replacement without the need for scaffolding. The detailing was designed to minimize the complexity of construction.
Instructors: Chad Kraus, Lance Rake, and Kent Spreckelmeyer
Student Team: Matthew Bellomy, Kirk Blakley, Schuyler Clogston, Hannah Denton, Katie Harris, Brighid Hegarty, Sarah Irby, Monica Mong, Sekou Toure Nyerere Hayes, Intisarameen Tyne, Benn Stover, Jack Swezy, Nicholas Vaaler, David Versteeg, Melissa Watson, Kenneth Wilson
Support Team: Cécile Accilien, Daphnee Boncoeu, Korde Chaaruchandra, James Dumas, Ron Barret-Gonzalez, Jim Grant, Jephte Hyppolite, Pierre Lackson, Duckenson Louis, Jeff Morival, and Frank Zilm
The Haiti Project by Chad Kraus in Haiti won the WA Award Cycle 29. Please find below the WA Award poster for this project.
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